QUETTA: Two policemen and four militants were killed in an attack on a police check-post in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, police officials said Friday.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province in terms of landmass, has been the site of an insurgency for the last two decades, with separatists frequently attacking police, security forces and civilians they see as “outsiders” in the resource-rich region.
In the latest incident, armed men attacked a police check-post in Shaban area, some 35 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Quetta, local police station in-charge Munir Khan told Arab News.
“Terrorists attacked a police post in Shaban, killing two policemen and injuring two others. The police force timely retaliated and killed four terrorists,” he said.
“Search and clearance operation continued till early hours of Friday as some terrorists fled to the nearby mountains.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion was likely to fall on armed separatist groups who have carried out a number of attacks in a similar fashion in the past.
It comes two days after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group killed seven passengers, who hailed from the Punjab province, after off-loading them from a bus in Balochistan’s Barkhan district, according to authorities.
Pakistan has been struggling to contain mounting attacks by separatists in Balochistan, which shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan.
At least, 25 policemen were killed and 61 others injured in Balochistan in nearly 40 attacks against police in 2024, according to provincial government figures. This is apart from losses incurred by security forces and civilians killed in targeted killings.
The separatists accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting the province’s natural resources for development elsewhere in the country, while neglecting the local population. The government denies the allegations and says it has prioritized Balochistan’s development through investments in health, education and infrastructure projects.
Separately, a man, who was allegedly carrying explosives, was killed in an explosion on Quetta’s Qambrani Road on Thursday night, according to police.
“It has been unclear whether he was a suicide bomber or delivering the explosives,” Qasim Rodeni, a police officer in Quetta, told Arab News.
“The man was carrying around 4-5 kilograms of explosive material which exploded on the road. We are investigating the incident.”
More than 50 people, including security forces, were killed in August last year in a string of assaults in Balochistan that were claimed by the BLA. Last month, dozens of fighters of the separatist outfit wrested control of a small town in Khuzdar from the Levies paramilitary forces. Pakistani authorities had regained the town after hours of efforts.
Two cops, four militants killed in attack on police check-post in Pakistan’s southwest
https://arab.news/nxc5h
Two cops, four militants killed in attack on police check-post in Pakistan’s southwest
- The attack comes two days after gunmen offloaded seven passengers from a Punjab-bound bus and killed them in Balochistan’s Barkhan
- Pakistan has been struggling to contain mounting attacks by separatists in Balochistan, which has been the site of an insurgency for decades
Pakistan opposition rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand release of Imran Khan
- PTI-led gathering calls the former PM a national hero and demands the release of all political prisoners
- Government says the opposition failed to draw a large crowd and accuses PTI of damaging its own politics
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s opposition led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party demanded the release of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan at a rally in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, describing him as a national hero who continues to command public support.
The gathering came days after a rare and strongly worded briefing by the military’s media chief, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, who dismissed Khan as “narcissistic” and “mentally ill” on Friday while responding to the former premier’s allegations that Pakistan’s chief of defense forces was responsible for undermining the constitution and rule of law.
He said that Khan was promoting an anti-state narrative which had become a national security threat.
The participants of the rally called for “civilian supremacy” and said elected representatives should be treated with respect.
“We, the people of Pakistan, regard Imran Khan as a national hero and the country’s genuinely elected prime minister, chosen by the public in the February 8, 2024 vote,” said a resolution presented at the rally in Peshawar. “We categorically reject and strongly condemn the notion that he or his colleagues pose any kind of threat to national security.”
“We demand immediate justice for Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and all political prisoners, and call for their prompt release,” it added, referring to Khan’s wife who is also in prison. “No restrictions should be placed on Imran Khan’s meetings with his family, lawyers or political associates.”
Addressing the gathering, Sohail Afridi, the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, denied his administration was not serious about security issues amid increased militant activity. However, he maintained the people of his province had endured the worst of Pakistan’s conflict with militancy and urged a rethinking of long-running security policies.
The resolution asked the federal government to restore bilateral trade and diplomatic channels with Afghanistan, saying improved cross-border ties were essential for the economic stability of the region.
The trade between the two neighbors has suffered as Pakistan accuses the Taliban administration in Kabul of sheltering and facilitating armed groups that it says launch cross-border attacks to target its civilians and security forces. Afghan officials deny the claim.
The two countries have also had deadly border clashes in recent months that have killed dozens of people on both sides.
Some participants of the rally emphasized the restoration of democratic freedoms, judicial independence and space for political reconciliation, calling them necessary to stabilize the country after years of political confrontation.
Reacting to the opposition rally, Information Minister Attaullah Tarrar said the PTI and its allies could not gather enough people.
“In trying to build an anti-army narrative, they have ruined their own politics,” he said, adding that the rally’s reaction to the military’s media chief’s statement reflected “how deeply it had stung.”
“There was neither any argument nor any real response,” he added, referring to what was said by the participants of the rally.
